The Protector
by TheFandomJunkie
Summary: At 21 years old Clarissa Morgenstern is kidnapped and is told to give her father a message or she will die. When she is returned to her home, Valentine calls IDRIS Agency to give Clary protection from her father's enemies. When Clary's protector is Jace Herondale will she be able to keep her emotions in check? Will Jace be able to keep her safe when he is falling for her?
1. Chapter 1

Clary

I should have known better then to go outside in the dead of night. I should have known. But I couldn't sleep so I decided to go outside. I pulled on my robe and I walked out of the apartment complex to the street. Had I known what was waiting for me outside I would have never left my room. Had I known what was waiting for me I would have called the cops and I could be living a normal life. But unfortunately, I hadn't known what was lurking in the shadows, waiting for me outside.

Living in Manhattan you can never see the stars. The stars are always covered by the black polluted air that floats throughout the city. So as I walk down the flights of stairs, the one thing that I wish for is just to be able to see the stars. I step outside and the brisk air hits me so strongly that my eyes begin to water. I crane my neck so I can look at the sky. I search and search for the stars but all I can see is the black sky. I begin to turn around to enter my apartment building but before I can walk through the doorway, a damp rag is pressed to my face, covering my mouth and nose. As I try and defend against my attacker, I realize that my attempts are futile as I feel my thoughts slipping away from me. Before my thoughts vanish entirely and black clouds my vision, I can only think of one thing. The stars. And with that last thought, my mind goes blank and my body becomes limp as I become unconscious.

~~7 Hours Later~~

Simon

_Beep! Beep! Beep!_

"Ughhhhhh!" I turn over to look at my alarm clock and see that my fears have been confirmed. It's 6:45, which means I have to get up and get ready for work. As I haul my covers off my body I instantly feel the loss of warmth as cool air comes to take the place of the heat that was once there. I stifle a shiver as I stumble towards the bathroom. After splashing cold water on my face, brushing my teeth, and going number 1 I change out of my Mario and Luigi pajamas into a gaming T-shirt and some jeans. As I make my way out into the living room I expect to see my favorite red head in the entire world but she is nowhere to be found.

"Clary!" I shout. No answer. _She's probably still in her bathroom getting ready. Girls, they always take so long to do the most simple and ridiculous tasks_, I think to myself. I walk to her bedroom and peek inside. That's weird; Clary's bed isn't made yet. Clary may be a complete slob but she always insists on keeping her bed made. I walk to the bathroom and knock on the door.

"Clary! You in there?" No reply. "Clary I'm going to come in there if you don't answer me!" Still no reply. I wrap my hand around the doorknob and twist to the right to find that the door is unlocked. I push the door open to find the bathroom completely vacant. Everything is in place and not a single thing has been used lately. The sink is dry and there are no signs of moisture in the shower. I start to panic because I know that clary would never leave without giving me a heads up or something. I check the kitchen to see if she left me any notes saying that she just went to the grocery store to pick up some stuff. Nothing. I pull out my phone and call her. After a second I hear the Super Mario Bros theme song, which is Clary's ringtone for me. Clary never goes anywhere without her phone. I walk balk into her bedroom and pick up her cellphone. By now I have no idea where she is and calling the police is my best option. So I pull out my phone once more and dial 911.

"911, what's your emergency?"

"My best friend is missing," My trembling voice, conveys the panic and terror that I feel inside of me.

"How long has your friend been missing?"

I hesitate. I honestly don't know how long she has been gone. She could have been gone for hours and she could have been gone for a mere ten minutes.

"Sir, how long has your friend been gone?" She repeats with impatience.

"I-I don't know. I mean she was here when I went to sleep at 10 and she was gone when I woke up at 6:45. Other then that I don't know where she is or where she went."

The woman sighs and in a tired voice asks, "Sir, is there a possibility that she just went out for breakfast or went to the store, or-"

At this point my frustration with the woman has grown to an all time high and I have had enough so I cut her off.

"No! Those are not possibilities because my Clary would have left a note or at least took her phone with her so I could call her if need be. My clary would never put me through this much panic if she just went out to the store, so you need to do something to find her and get her back to me! Am I making myself clear?!"

The woman's bored and condescending voice turns into one of pure shock. "Um what is your friend's name and may you describe what she looks like to me?" She asks.

"Clarissa, Clarissa Morgenstern, but she prefers Clary. She is 21, has curly-ish red hair that comes to about her mid-back, she has these green eyes that look like Saint Patrick's Day exploded in them, she has freckles that cover her nose and a little bit of her cheeks. She is 5'1" and has the balance of a one legged dog."

"Alright, and where does she live?"

"She lives with me on 112 W 138th Street Apartment 1C Manhattan, New York."

"Alright, the police report has been sent sir, the authorities will be at your address shortly to inspect the apartment and to question you." And with that last phrase the woman hangs up and I am left completely alone. Hoping more than anything that Clary just walks through that door. Even though I would have gone through all this trouble for nothing it wouldn't matter as long as she was safe. I know in my heart that something is wrong and now it is my job to tell Clary's parent but deep down inside I'm still waiting for this whole thing to be a nightmare. A terrible nightmare that I will wake up from soon.

~~OOO~~

Clary

I peel my heavily lidded eyes open and am met with a blinding white light that causes me to squint and blink repeatedly until my eyes focus. _Where am I? What happened? _My mind instantly goes to the cliché questions that are always asked when someone is kidnapped. Kidnapped. My mind instantly recaps what happened last night. My brain instantly becomes clear and shakes away any remnants of sleep. I take in my surroundings and find that I am in a nicely furnished bedroom and I am laying on a queen sized plush bed. I look down at myself and thank god that I'm still in my pajamas and no one has changed me into something else. I pull at my hands and feet in an attempt to get up but find that they are tied to the headboard with a thick rope. My best bet is to familiarize myself with the room in case I need to make a quick escape. The bed is positioned at the back wall and on my right is a small nightstand that has a clock on it. I look at the time. It's 7:25. Before I can even help myself I think of Simon. _What would he be doing right now? Would he notice that I'm gone? Has he gone to the police yet? _My tall, brown-headed dork would know that I would never leave so suddenly without making some announcement. Before I can think any further I hear voices coming from outside the bedroom door. And soon, the doorknob is rattling as someone inserts the key to unlock it and starts to open the door.

Simon

"Hello," the woman in the suit says. "I'm detective Branwell and this is my partner, officer Fairchild. A kidnapping was reported and we were instructed to come here. We would like to take a look inside." She quickly flashes me her badge and I open the door to let her and officer Fairchild in. Without any instructions detective Branwell starts to search the apartment and I can tell by her face and her cold eyes that she is all about business. Regardless of the fact that detective Branwell is about 10 inches shorter than me, there is no doubt that she knows how to get what she wants. My attention is pulled away when officer Fairchild starts to question me.

"When was the last time you saw Clarissa?" he asks. I can tell straightaway that he is the complete opposite of his partner. While detective Branwell is cold and is all about business, officer Fairchild has a kind smile and behind his blue eyes lays a warm and affectionate personality.

"I last saw her at 10 pm before we went to bed." Officer Fairchild takes out a pen and notepad—drops the pen and picks it up—and starts to write down all of my answers. The questions drone on until detective Branwell comes out of Clary's room holding Clary's phone in a plastic bag.

"We will need to take this back to our facility to check for any unusual calls or anything that might give us some insight on who took her and where she might be right now," she says without emotion. She promptly sticks her hand out waiting for me to shake it. I grasp her hand and shake it.

"Thank you detective Branwell," I say. When she hears the words 'detective Branwell' her eyes soften slightly and they show a slight amount of emotion.

In a kinder voice she says, "Please, call me Charlotte."

Charlotte and officer Fairchild leave and I promptly close the door behind them, left with the crushing weight of knowing that my best friend is missing and I have to be the one to tell her family that she is gone. With that thought, I grab my keys and make my way out of my apartment complex.

~~OOO~~

15 minutes later

I sit in the driver's seat of my old Toyota Civic leaning my head against the steering wheel. I am parked in the parking lot of Morgenstern Inc., Clary's father's building. Morgenstern Inc. is a computer software business that generates software for top-notch computer companies. Morgenstern Inc. is also run by the most cutthroat businessman in all of New York, Valentine Morgenstern. Valentine was a harsh man that manipulated everyone to get what he wanted. And in all honesty he was not a kind man either, in fact he was cold and had no remorse. And the fact that I have to walk into his office and tell him that his daughter is missing is very daunting. With one big breath I muster up all my courage and walk through the glass doors of the building and head to the elevators. I press the down button and watch as the glass elevator—Valentine has a thing with glass—descends and opens up in front of me. I step inside and take a look at the buttons that indicate the floor levels. I press the button for the top floor—which is 99—and wait until the doors reopen and I step out into the waiting room for Valentine's office. To the right is the front desk and I make my way to Kaelie the receptionist.

"Excuse me, I'm here to see Mr. Morgenstern," I say.

Without looking up from her computer she replies, "If you would like to see Mr. Morgenstern you must make an appointment. And all appointments must be made one month in advance." Her red nails continue clacking on her keyboard while she obnoxiously blows bubbles with her gum.

"Listen Kaelie, I need to talk to Valentine right now. Its about clary."

She looks up form her computer in shock, "Oh, Simon I didn't realize it was you. Hold on one moment, let me page Mr. Morgenstern for you."

"Thanks Kaelie."

She presses a red button on the intercom and speaks into it, "Hello I have Simon Lewis with me and he is requesting to speak with Mr. Morgenstern. He says it is very important."

"Alright send him in," says a feminine voice through the intercom.

"Ok, thank you very much," and with that, Kaelie hangs up and turns back to me. "Mr. Morgenstern is ready to speak with you, so just head through those doors," gesturing to the mahogany doors behind her, "and follow the hallway until you reach the door at the end."

"Ok, thank you Kaelie."

Kaelie gives me a small smile and resumes clicking her fake nails on the keyboard. I walk towards the mahogany doors and push them open and walk through. He hallway seems to stretch for miles. I start the trek towards Valentine's office. I don't exactly remember moving my feet towards the door but I guess my body has a mind of its own. I give the door a quick knock and wait for a response.

"Come in."

With a nudge I push the door open and step inside. The office is extremely barren and plain. There are glass windows—I'm telling you, Valentine has a thing with glass—that stretch from the floor to the ceiling and they cover the entire back wall. In front of the glass is a mahogany desk with a simple leather chair behind it. Even the desk is plain and barren. It has nothing on it except for a closed laptop sitting in the middle of the desk. I look towards the glass windows and see that Valentine is leaning against them with his back facing me. As if he could sense my presence his head snapped up and he turned around to face me.

As Valentine turned to face me all previous emotion that was on his face was washed away and replaced with a fake smile. "Simon! It has been so long, you really do need to stop by more often with Clary." Regardless of the smile that Valentine had plastered onto his face, his eyes remain cold and heartless.

I felt my throat close and no words were able to come out, "Um- um, Sir, s-something ha-happened to Clary." Valentine's grin lessens and lessens until his face is pale and stoic. "Sir, Clary is missing."

At first, Valentine does nothing; he just stands there, looking me in the eyes. There are no signs of sadness, surprise, anguish, or any emotions. And before I can even see his hand move, he whips out his phone from his pocket, dials a number and is waiting for the person to pick up.

"Maryse, I need help, and you owe me."

There was a short pause before Valentine spoke again, "Bring your best and have them come to my office." And with that, Valentine hung up. He then turned to me, "stay here, we are going to have company."

Clary

The door pushes open and two men dressed in black walk in. The one on the right is built with muscle but is not very tall while the one on the left is tall and lean but without muscle. They both stand shoulder-to-shoulder as if they are guarding something. I stare at them, petrified and unable to make any sounds.

Then a silky smooth voice breaks the silence "Ah, dear Clarissa, you are finally awake." The two men step aside to reveal another man. He is neither tall nor muscular. In fact he looks quite normal. He has the physique of a middle-aged man. But there is something in his eyes that made him scarier and more menacing than the other two men combined.

"I'm sure that you are wondering so many things right now. Who I am. Why are you here? But don't worry dearest Clarissa-"

"It's Clary." I interrupt.

A sickly sweet smile creeps on his face, "My apologies, Clary. As I was saying, you needn't worry about anything because the only reason you are here is so I can have you warn your father about what happens when he crosses me." His smile remained on his face, yet his voice turned cold enough to make chills run up my spine.

After a prolonged period of silence he looks at me expectantly as if he is waiting for me to speak. "How exactly can I warn my father about anything if you have me tied to a bed?"

"Well you are in luck because after I tell you the message that I want you to relay to your father, I'm going to let you go."

"And what makes you think that I'm going to tell my father anything that you told me?" I ask with defiance. "How do you know that I'm not going to go straight to the police once you let me go? I'm sure that by now my best friend has already called the police to say that I am missing."

The man gives me a pitiful look as if I am a child that doesn't understand why they can't have ice cream before dinner. "My dear, you underestimate me, which is a foolish thing to do. I have no doubt that your friend has called to say that you have gone missing but once you turn up, they will cease looking for you which solves that problem. And what will you say to the police once I let you go? 'A man abducted me and then let me go after giving me a message to tell my father?' The police are hardly going to believe that. And if you don't tell your father the message or your father doesn't listen to the message, I will come after you again. Except next time I won't be as lenient to let you go. So dearest Clary, I implore you to not be a fool and do what I say."

There was not a single doubt in my mind that any of the words this man said were lies. The look in his eyes showed that he was not bluffing and he would not hesitate to torture me or kill me. "What is your name?"

"That is not of any importance to you, therefore you don't need to know it."

"How will my father know who the message is from?"

"I promise you, he will know how it is from. Listen carefully because I will not repeat this again. If your father does not give me what I want, I will come after you and everyone he loves. Do I make myself clear?" I nod. "Good."

"What is the message?" I ask with a hesitant voice.

"Tell Valentine that, he has a week to wire the money to my bank account—which he knows—and if he doesn't, well you know that part already." After a short pause the man speaks again. "Clary, your father is not the man you think he is. He is vicious and cold."

At this point my calm demeanor shatters and I can't stop the flow of words that begin to pour out of my mouth, "You think I don't know that?" I ask with slight hysteria. "I lived with my father until I was 18. Once I was old enough I got the hell out of his house! I saw what the death of my mother did to him! And every time he looks at me, I'm just a reminder of what he lost. You can't tell me anything about my father that I don't already know, so cut the bullshit about trying to shed light on the real man my father is."

"Very well. I believe that it is time for you to go home. Pangborn!" The tall lean man steps forward. "Please take Ms. Morgenstern back to her apartment."

Pangborn goes to a small table and takes out a rag and some clear solution. He pours the solution onto the rag and steps closer to me.

I instantly realize that he is going to knock me out again and I start to fight against my restraints.

The man's soothing voice cuts in. "Clary, relax, you wont feel a thing."

I turn to look at the man with disbelief and the second my eyes leave Panborn I feel the cool rag shoved onto my face. My eyes flutter closed and once again, I feel my thoughts slipping away.

Mayrse

I sit at my desk with my shoulders hunched and my head in my hands. Exhaustion overcomes my body urging me to shut my eyes and fall asleep.

_Ring! Ring!_

You have got to be kidding me.

"This is Agent Lightwood speaking." A short pause.

"We will be right there." I hang up the phone and quickly walk to the training room. They are always in there anyways. My heels click as I walk through the hall and I reach the doors to the training room. I push open the door and find that all three of them are in here just as I suspected. "Attention, Agents Lightwood, Lightwood, and Herondale." They all stop what they were doing. Stand shoulder width apart with their left hand behind their back and their right hand on their forehead in a salute. A small smile graces my face to know that I have trained them well.

"Wash up and meet me in my office in five minutes."

5 Minutes Later

I sit on my desk—which some may say is unprofessional—and watch as my agents file into the room with their hands clasped behind their backs and the feet shoulder width apart.

"Agents, I brought you here because an old friend of mine has requested our services for an extremely important client. He hasn't told me the circumstances of this situation but once we do know the circumstances then you will each be assigned a task. We are to go to his current location so we may fully understand the situation and be prepared for what we must do. Are there any comments that you would like to make?"

Of course Agent Herondale speaks, he has a comment for everything. "Who is the client?"

"As far as I know, there are multiple clients but Valentine Morgenstern was the one to enlist our services. If there are no more questions or comments then we must get going."

Valentine

I pace in my office while waiting for Mayrse to get here with her agents. The minute's pass by until I hear the buzz of the intercom and Kaelie's nasally voice speak through it.

"Mr. Morgenstern, 2 women and 2 gentlemen are here to see you. They said that you were expecting them."

"Yes, Kaelie send them in please."

A minute later Mayrse Lightwood steps through followed by a girl who is a spitting image of Mayrse when she was younger, a boy who has the same black hair as Mayrse and the girl but has softer cheekbones. And lastly an attractive yet unusual boy with gold hair and gold eyes follows. They all form a line behind Mayrse and stand as if they were statues.

"Hello Valentine. I got here as soon as I could. May I present to you Agent Isabelle Lightwood, Agent Alexander Lightwood, and lastly Agent Jace Herondale. Now may you please tell us what happened?"

"My daughter, Clarissa, went missing."

"And you want us to find her?" Mayrse questioned.

With a smirk I respond, "Oh no, I know exactly who took her and why and I know for sure that he is going to return her. What I need you to do is simple. Once Clarissa is returned I need you to make sure that she has constant protection because the person who kidnapped her wants me to do something which I will not do and when I don't, he will take Clarissa and kill her."

"What?!" Simon yells from the back, I completely forgot that he was there. "How dare you let Clary be put in that much danger?! How could you even think to gamble Clary's life like that? Clary deserves better than you as a father!"

"Listen boy! You have no right to judge anything about this situation-"

Before another word is spoken, Mayrse cuts in, "Valentine, I believe that it would be in everyone's best interests if we were to get on with the problem at hand."

"Oh, yes of course. So Clarissa is going to be returned within the next hour or so. So I want your agents to come with me to her apartment so that when she wakes up she can understand what has happened."

"Alright." Mayrse then turns to her agents. "Do any of you have questions or comments?"

The boy with gold hair and gold eyes steps forward, "If our job is to protect Ms. Morgenstern why are there three of us? One person only requires one protector."

"Well aren't you an inquisitive agent?" I ask in a condescending voice. "But you are right, Clarissa will not be the only person being protected. Her _friend_,Simon will be requiring protection as well as myself."

"And who will protect who?" He asks.

"Well this is where it becomes a little tricky. I may have left out the part where you all need to acquire a new identity. Because Clarissa's life is at stake, we mustn't make it obvious that she has a full time protector or else our cover will be blown. So Alec will be my protector, Isabelle will be Simon's, and Jace will be Clarissa's. But Alec and Isabelle must pretend to be my niece and nephew while Jace; you must pretend to be Clarissa's boyfriend. And this must be believable so get to know one another. Jace and Isabelle will be enrolled in the college that Simon and Clarissa attend while Alec will become my personal assistant. Jace, Isabelle, and Alec will be living in the apartment across from Clarissa and Simon's to make sure that protection is at a maximum. Jace you have a job of the upmost importance due to the fact that Clarissa will be the main target. You must understand that she is never to leave your sight. When she goes to work, you go with her, when she goes to class, you go with her, and if she goes for a walk you are to go with her. She is never to leave your sight. Do I make myself clear agents?

They all give a slight nod.

"Good. I believe it's time that you introduce yourselves to Clarissa."

Clary

Once again I peel my heavy eyelids back and blink rapidly until my blurry eyes come into focus. I give a slight sigh of relief when I see that I am in my apartment. In my mind I keep replaying the events of last night and this morning not knowing what to do. _Should I go to my father's office? Should I stay here? Does he even know that I went missing? Does he even care? _All my life I have strived to be the daughter that he wanted but in his eyes I would never amount to Jonathon. Even before my mother died, I was never good enough. For example on my ninth birthday I asked my father for a new set of oil pastels and instead he gave me crayons saying that they were out of oil pastels. But on Jonathon's birthday he asked for books and my father built him a customized library in our house. Of course Jonathon always felt bad and he would try to tell my father to get me what I wanted but whenever he brought up my name Valentine would beat him until he stopped.

My thoughts are cut off when I hear the lock on my door start to open. I dash into the kitchen, grab a knife and, crouch behind the couch. As the door begins to open I jump up from behind the couch wielding the knife ready to stab anyone who comes my way—normally I am not this violent but the situation calls for it. My eyes catch sight on glasses and brown hair and my hand stops and I drop the knife. I jump into Simon's arms and at that moment nothing else matters because I'm safe.

"Geez, Clary," he says, "I am worried sick that you are gone and then when you see me you try to stab me. That's a messed up welcome home present."

"Oh shut up you big dork," I retaliate.

My moment of blissful peace is shattered when I hear someone clear his throat from behind Simon. "Clarissa if you don't mind, there are some serious matters that need to be discussed."

I let go of Simon and turn to face my father, "Hello dad, it's so nice to see you. How has my day been you ask, absolutely wonderful except for being kidnapped because of you, thanks for asking."

Valentine's face turns cold and his eyes show pure rage, "I don't need any of your attitude, Clarissa, you are lucky I'm taking these measures and precautions to make sure that you don't die."

"So you know what's going on? You know that some crazy man kidnapped me, threatened me, and told me that I will die if you don't do something and you still don't care! You are a sick twisted bastard-" I feel a hand connect with my face and my eyes sting with tears before I can even finish my sentence. I lift my hand to my stinging cheek and turn to face my father.

"You will learn to hold your tongue in my presence Clarissa. I am not your equal therefore you cannot speak to me as if I am. If you don't learn to respect me I will make sure that you are fed to the wolves and I will not blink twice." Valentine then leans in close to me and whispers something only I will be able to hear. "If you don't want to end up like your mother then I suggest you listen to me."

A small gasp escapes my mouth. My mother died in a plane crash and Valentine was devastated and I can't believe that he would even think to bring up the incident. Valentine retreats back to his standing position and his face shows no sign or trace of any hatred or emotion. He only portrays a look of pure calm. I take this moment to register the people standing behind my father. There is a woman who looks to be in her 40's or 50's with dark raven hair pulled back into a tight ponytail that shows her sharp facial features. Her eyes are such a dark blue that they are verging on black but unlike my father's eyes hers look warm and inviting even though she isn't smiling. Behind her is a girl who looks to be about my age with the exception that she looks to be about six inches taller. She looks almost exactly like the woman in front except that instead of blue eyes she has dark eyes that are in between brown and black. She is stunningly beautiful with her long raven hair that comes to her hips, her long eyelashes that seem to go on forever, and her soft delicate facial features. She pretty much looks like a freaking super model. Next to her is a boy with the same hair and same features. There honestly is not much to say about him because he looks just like the girl but in the form of a guy, but instead of her dark brown eyes he has dark blue eyes. And lastly, next to him is another guy who has the most interesting eyes that I have ever seen. They are gold, almost the color of caramel and I am so lost in them that I probably look like I am gawking at him—which I suppose I am but that's not the point—he is so beautiful. I take my gaze off of his eyes to look at the rest of him. His face looks almost angelic with his soft golden curls that fall to about his eyes. You can see that he is muscular, his arms are defined with muscle but not to the point where it's too much. Before I can help myself I am just staring into his eyes and the worst part is that he's staring right back at me with the most annoying smirk on his face. I quickly turn my face away before he can see me blush.

I turn to the woman with her raven hair in a ponytail and ask, "Who are you?"

She turns to look at me and I think I see pity in her eyes, "My name is Mayrse Lightwood and these are three of my top agents." She gestures to the three people behind her, "We work with an agency called IDRIS that is responsible for giving people that are in danger protection. These are agents Isabelle Lightwood, Alexander Lightwood, and Jace Herondale, and we are here to protect you."


	2. Chapter 2

Clary

Mayrse explains that IDRIS is an agency that offers protection to people who are in danger. "Your father called us and explained to us your situation and how your life is in danger and he told us what needs to be done. I understand this may be a lot to take in so if you have any questions or anything then please ask."

Mayrse stops talking and waits for me to give her an answer. "I would appreciate it," I say, "If you would stop talking to me like I am seven and something bad just happened. I'm 21 and I can handle what needs to be said."

"Very well," Mayrse replies, "Your father has asked of us to assign a personal protector to you, your friend Simon, and your father. Your protector is agent Jace Herondale, Simon's is agent Isabelle Lightwood, and Valentine's will be agent Alexander Lightwood. Due to the fact that we are an undercover agency, it is very important that it's not obvious that you have a protector. To do that, each of the agents will take an identity that they must follow. Isabelle and Alexander will be Valentine's neice and nephew and Jace will act as your boyfriend."

My eyes flick over to Jace and see that he has no expression, he just looks straight ahead at the wall as if nothing is going on around him.

"Jace, Isabelle, and Alexander will be living in the apartment across from you so they will be able to monitor you 24/7. Isabelle and Jace will also be going to the college that you and Simon attend. Clary you must listen to this part very carefully because it is the most crucial. You are the main target therefore you are the one at the most risk, Jace is never to leave your side. Whether you are going for a walk or going to school he is to be with you at all times."

I look at Mayrse and say, "Why are you giving me protection instead of finding the man who kidnapped me? What is going to happen if that man is never found? Will those three always be our protectors or will we get new ones or will we just be left alone so I can die? What good does it do anyone if the man who kidnapped me is still alive?" I take a deep breath of air and realize that I was yelling.

"I apologize Clarissa but our agency only offers protection, nothing more nothing less. Any form of investigation is not our job. That falls on the police's shoulders or any other agency that does that. Fortunately we are required to stay on your task as long as necessary until our services are no longer needed."

"And if I refuse to accept your protection?" I ask in a defiant tone.

With a sad look in Mayrse's eyes, she replies, "Unfortunately since your father made the call to give you protection then he is the only one who has the ability to take it away. If he continues to give you protection then we are required to give it."

I turn to look at my father, he has a calm stoic look on his face as if none of these words affect him whatsoever. "Why are you doing this?" I ask him, "You have clearly shown that you don't care what the hell happens to me so why take such an interest on preserving my life?"

Valentine turns his head at looks at me, "Don't think that I am doing this for you Clarissa." Is his simple response.

"Then who are you doing it for! You don't care about anyone but yourself!"

"You are such a foolish child," He hisses. "I made a promise to your mother before she died. A promise that I'm starting to regret. I promised her that I would keep you safe from my enemies. She was one of the few people that I loved and I would have done anything for her even if it meant watching over you when you mean nothing to me!" Valentine seems to realize that there are others around him and he begins to regain his composure. "I will not say anymore on this subject Clarissa, if you wish to know more then you will need to find your answers from someone other than me."

I realize that tears are beginning to pour down my face and I swipe at them furiously with my sleeve.

"I think we should leave Clarissa, Simon, and the other agents alone so they can become better acquainted with one another. Don't you think Valentine?" Mayrse's voice has such a sharp edge to it that it's clear that she is not suggestion anything, she is ordering.

Valentine looks up with cloudy eyes and stiffly nods his head. Both adults make their way out into the hall closing the door behind them. As soon as I hear the door click shut I fall to my knees and let the tears that I have been holding in spill out. I feel Simon's arms wrap around me and I bury my head into his shirt letting my tears drip onto him. I feel him rock me back and forth until my crying stops. I disentangle our legs from each other and I start to stand up. I walk straight into the bathroom without giving the agents a glance and I splash some cold water on my face to smooth my puffy eyes. I look at the mirror and see that I'm a wreck. My hair is all over the place, my eyes look swollen, and my nose is all red. I quickly pull my hair up into a high ponytail and I walk out of the bathroom. I see that the three agents are sitting on the couch and Simon is sitting in the armchair. I make my way over to Simon and I sit on his lap—so what if we are both 21, he is my best friend I can sit on his lap if I want to—and I turn to face the three agents.

We sit there looking at each other for a few moments before Simon breaks the silence, "Hello, I'm sure we all know each other's names by now so should we start to get to know each other?

We all turn to face Simon and look at him with a look of incredulity. "I don't want anything to do with these people," I hiss. "I have no reason to become their friends and I sure as hell have no reason to pretend to be his girlfriend." I say pointing at Jace.

"You are pretty quick to judge don't you think?" Jace asks getting out of his seat. "Seeing as you have never met us or even talked to us."

I stand up to and even though I am nowhere close to his height, I confidently respond "I have no reason to talk to you when I don't even want to be around you. All of you are just a reminder of what my father has to do because my mother asked him to do it, not because he cares about me." Once Jace hears my comment he instantly takes a step back as if I slapped him and he returns to sit down. "Since you are all so keen on getting to know one another then how about we start with me?" My voice is trembling and I am on the verge of sounding crazy. "My name is Clary, I'm 21, I have a brother named Jonathon who is two years older than me and a thousand times better than me in my father's eyes. It was obvious from day one that Jonathon was my father's favorite child and I was my mother's favorite child. Of course as luck would have it, my mother died when I was seven leaving me with my father who wanted nothing to do with me and my brother who was protective of me only when my father wasn't around which was the only time I needed his protection. I used to be an artist and I would paint with my mother but when she died I stopped because it hurt too much to do it without her. Once I was 18 I packed my stuff and took off into the city of New York. Simon and I have been friends since I was a child so when he heard that I had no place to stay he let me live with him in his mom's house. I got a job as a waitress at a club called Pandemonium and once Simon and I had enough money to get a place, we moved into here. Anything else you would like to know about me?" I ask in a crazy tone.

There is nothing but silence around me so I sit back down onto Simon's lap and he starts to rub soothing circles on my back. To my right I see Jace raise his hand and he is wearing a look of curiosity on his face, "I have a question," he says. "Are you and rat-boy dating?"

"What?" I ask in disbelief.

His face twists into a sly grin and he repeats the question once again, annunciating every word, "Are you dating rat-boy? Because if you are then it will be extremely hard to act like boyfriend and girlfriend."

"I feel Simon tense up underneath me and I grasp his hand and feel him instantly relax. I look into his eyes and the message in mine are clear. _Don't give him the satisfaction, he is not worth it. _Simon gives a slight nod and I look back at Jace with a cool stoic look on my face and realize that he is a boy who is arrogant and full of himself.

"Actually no, we are not dating, we are best friends and I love Simon a way you would love a brother."

Jace gives me a small smirk and responds in a smooth voice, "Is that so? If you two are really just friends then why does rat-boy keep flinching every time the word _friend _is said?"

I can feel Simon snap and I know that that was the last straw for him. Simon gently lifts me off his lap and he gets up calmly.

"Listen buddy," Simon says. "I don't know you and you don't know me so why don't we try to keep the peace between all of us?"

"First of all," Jace replies while standing up once more. "I am not your _buddy _and second of all I don't think I can really keep the peace between you and I when you will be getting in the way of my relationship with my future girlfriend." He gestures to me.

The look of rage on Simon's face lets me know that he is going to make a stupid decision and before I can even get a word out of my mouth, Simon has thrown a punch at Jace's face. As if Jace knew that Simon was going to do that his hand shoots out and catches Simon's fist before it collides with his face. The veins in Jace's wrist bulge out as he grips Simon's fist tighter and tighter until the point where it looks like it is going to break.

"If you ever try that again, I will make sure that I shatter your fist with my bare hands. Am I clear?" Simon forces his mouth shut even though pain is written all over his face. Jace's grip tightens once more and he repeats in an icy tone, "Am I clear?"

"Yes." Simon says. Jace's grip releases and exhales the breath that he was holding. I take a step towards Simon and I put my arms around his shoulders as he grasps his hand that Jace was just squeezing moments ago.

I look at Jace and give him my best death glare, "I think you should go." I say in such an icy tone that it puts ice to shame.

"Unfortunately for you sweetheart, you're stuck with us. We are required by law and our code as protectors to protect anyone who needs it."

"When will you get it through your head that I don't _want _you here. I don't care about your stupid code!"

"What makes you think that we want to be here?" Jace spits back. "What makes you think that I want to be protecting some ungrateful little girl who has some daddy issues? The world does not revolve around your needs or wants because not everything is about you so like it or not, you are stuck with us!"

My hand moves of its own accord and I slap Jace across the face. "I am not some little girl and if you knew _anything _about me then you would know that I don't just have daddy issues. So I'm going to say it one more time. you need to get the hell out of my apartment. Now."

To my surprise, Isabelle and Alec get up and make their way towards the door. Alec puts his hand on Jace's shoulder and I can see that there is a hidden message behind his slight touch but I can seem to figure out what it is. Jace and Alec look at each other for a second before Jace follows them towards the door.

Before the door closes behind them I can hear Jace say one last thing, "Don't come crying back to me when someone you care about dies because you are so stubborn." And with that last message the door shuts with a resounding click that seems to echo through my mind.

Jace

As I walk out of the apartment with Alec and Isabelle I replay the interaction between all of us in my head. _She slapped me! She is so ridiculously stubborn and ignorant and insufferable! Why doesn't she realize that her _life _is in danger! I know that it was wrong of me to push her to the point where she slapped me but she doesn't realize how dangerous this situation is. _I push away my previous thoughts and pull out my key for the apartment that the agency just provided us. I fit they key into the hole turn it to the right and push it open. The apartment is completely empty unlike Clary's, which was filled with life and color. Downstairs, there is a truck that has all of our things including surveillance cameras that we are going to set up in Clary's apartment and in the hallway.

Someone's voice snaps me out of the fog that I was in, "Jace!"

"Yeah Izzy. What's up?" I reply.

"I have been saying your name for the past minute. Mom just called, she said that she went back to the agency with Valentine and that once they get back, Alec is to remain with him at all times."

"Yeah ok." I say half-heartedly. No matter how much I try, I can't stop my mind from thinking about what Valentine said to Clary about not caring about her. How could you say that to your own child? No matter how much you aren't close, you should always care about them. No one deserves to grow up like I did.

_Flashback:_

"_Jace, you should know not to talk back to your father. I think that I will have to teach you a lesson."_

_My tiny body slowly backs away from him until I hit the wall behind me. My eyes search frantically for anywhere that I can run and hide to but of course, there is nothing._

"_Please daddy," I say with a desperate tone. "I didn't mean to and I promise that I wont do it again." _

"_A real man does not beg. He takes his punishment with his head held up high and after that he learns his lesson. That's all I'm doing Jace, I'm just teaching you a lesson."_

_The six year old me begins to cry softly as Stephen Herondale begins to take his belt out of the loops._

"_Stop crying!" he yells as he brings the belt down on my little arm. "You are pathetic!" He continues to beat me until I can't keep myself conscious anymore._

"_Mommy!" is the last thing I shout before I become unconscious._

I blink away the memories from my childhood and focus on the task at hand, which is Clary. I don't know how I'm supposed to do my job and protect her when she is so ridiculously stubborn and she won't let me even be around her. I make up my mind that I need to go talk to her about what happened and how we got off on the wrong foot so I mutter something to Isabelle about being back in a minute and then I quickly walk out the door. I quickly walk towards her door but I hesitate to knock when it hits me that I have no idea what I'm going to say to her. Never before have I been so unsure of what to say to a girl. It's just that this girl is so different. From minute number one she didn't show any signs of fawning over my gorgeous body and looks—sure it may sound conceited but honestly who am I kidding, we all know that it's true—and that is what makes her so different from any other girl that I have met. I quickly knock on the door before I lose my resistance and am grateful when it opens and it's Clary instead of Simon. Her hair is still in her ponytail but her eyes no longer are red and puffy so I can now see her death glare that is directed to me.

"What do you want?" she spits out. "Come back to tell me that not only am I a brat but I'm a spoiled little princess too?"

I stare directly into her green eyes that are so captivating and I blurt out the first words that come to mind without even thinking, "I'm sorry."

I can tell that she is taken aback when her death glare turns into a look of pure shock. "What?" she asks in astonishment.

I swallow the lump in my throat that is beginning to form and I repeat the two words again, "I'm sorry. I had no right to say what I did and I want you to know that I'm sorry."

"Is this supposed to make up for what you said to me, and what you did to Simon?" she asks, some of the fury returning to her eyes. "Because if it is then this is a pretty ridiculous attempt at it. You come into my life unannounced and you all of the sudden think that you have the right to make judgements on how I grew up and what my situation is like now?"

"That isn't what I meant. I don't know how you grew up and what I said was out of line so that's why I'm coming here and apologizing. I just want you to realize how dangerous your situation is and how much protection you need. For all we know, the person who is coming after you could have trained assassins to come and kill you. So it would really help both of us if we started off on the right foot. So, my name is Jace Herondale, I'm 22 years old and I am a protector for IDRIS Agency."

Clary's eyes softened a little and she wore a slight smile on her porcelain doll face. "Hi, my name is Clary Morgenstern, I'm 21 years old, and I am a waitress at Pandemonium. Why don't you come inside and we can get to know each other."

She opens the door a little wider and I step inside. I look around the room and drink in every aspect of it. In the middle is an old beat up futon couch with a small mahogany coffee table in front of it. Next to the futon is a small little table that has a picture of Simon giving Clary a piggyback ride. Next to that is a picture of Clary as a little girl and a woman who looks like Clary. She has a kind face with green orbs and auburn hair that falls in waves down her back. And she is looking down at the little girl with loving eyes as the toddler is covering her hands in paint. I pick up the photo and stare at it intently until I hear someone clear his throat from behind me. I quickly put down the picture and turn around to meet the green eyes that stare at me intently.

Clary walks over towards me and looks at the picture with a sad smile, "That was my mom and I when we were painting and my brother Jonathon had taken a photo of us." I don't know what to say as Clary looks at the photo with a dreamy look on her face. I want to stay in this moment and just memorize her face but as if she was slapped, she snaps her head up and the dreamy gaze leaves her eyes as the weight of the world comes to take its place.

"Would you like something to drink?" she asks, walking into the kitchen. I follow her and watch as she rummages through her tiny fridge settled in the corner of the room. "We have milk that spoiled two weeks ago, and we have orange juice, and water."

"I'm alright," is my short response.

"Ok." There is a slight awkward pause where neither of us know what to say. "I wanted to say that I'm sorry. I shouldn't have slapped you. I do realize that this situation is dangerous and my life is in jeopardy but it is just hard to deal with all this new information being given to me all at once."

"Clary I know that this situation is hard to process but you have to be wiling to do this and I'm sorry for what I said. I really am."

"Ok. Do you need to honestly pretend to be my boyfriend?"

"Well technically yes. At least in public we have to act like that but when we are behind closed doors then it is ok if you don't want too, you also can't engage in any other relationship with anyone else. But I constantly have to be with you. There are going to be a lot of times when I'm going to sit on the couch while you are asleep because in the time that it takes me to get from my apartment to yours, something could happen."

"Alright. Well I guess that clears up that question. Is that it?"

"Yeah that pretty much sums it up."

"So friends?" she asks with slight apprehension.

"Yeah, friends."

And with that I leave the apartment with the worry that I may not be able to be just friends.


End file.
